Media.Vision has still been producing games, so a new Wild Arms is a definite possibility, unless they just flat-out lost interest in the franchise, which I think accounts for many RPG series being orphaned.

I'd love to see another Wild Arms game, but I haven't liked where the writing for the past few have gone. Not that any of the games ever were high literature to begin with, but I'd felt lukewarm towards the storytelling in 4 and 5. I never did get around to finishing XF...

I couldn't agree more. I still play the original Wild Arms from time to time. There's something about that game, a certain fascination created by the art design and the gorgeous soundtrack. The second game in the series is unjustly underrated though I admit it's not very accessible. Wild Arms 3 is easily my favourite, followed by Alter Code F. The latter could have profitted much from voiced dialogue. I really hope therefore that a new WA game, be it on Vita or PS4 will take these two as a reference point.

« Last Edit: May 14, 2014, 03:57:06 PM by Masakado »

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That's just my personal opinion, but I'd agree with that. Don't get me wrong, I liked both 4 and 5. They're definitely not bad games, but the writing and the overall atmosphere felt differently than in the first three games. Playing the original WA for a few hours made me realize why I fell in love with the series in the first place. It's that sense of adventurous spirit combined with the vast, desolated world of Filgaia. Wild Arms 3 is the apex of the series and I can't recommend it enough. Just listening to 'Long Days of Rest' from the OST makes me reminisce about those times.

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Yeah I liked 4 and 5 enough (4 for the time slow-down mechanic, and 5 for a pretty decent time travel story...odd that they share 'time' stuffs). But for whatever reason it started to go down this weird shonen manga route that made it feel less like the spaghetti west and more like this big action, over-the-top anime instead. It was still a lot of fun, gameplay-wise, and it still looked/sounded great, but I prefer the more mild tone of the earlier titles.

The plot writing in 4 was just bad. There were really interesting ideas, and the character interaction was pretty good, but the "Kids vs Adults" thing was really weird and the game occasionally dropped random bizarre elements in optional conversations. I remember that in some laboratory place, there was a completely out of place reference to evolution "just being a theory with no evidence". It was an optional thing that I got by accident, but it was just so random that it sticks in my mind.

In Wild Arms 5, the biggest problem is just that Dean isn't just an idiot hero. He's a complete moron.

4 is one of those games that fist seems really kiddy and immature, but upon further consideration is much more well thought out than it initially seems. The Kids vs Adults was really annoying my first time through, but when considering the game outside of, er, the game, it's a very sound theme, especially for the Japanese audiences where growing into a more traditional adult means that your freedom and dreams tend to be shed for responsibility. The point really seemed to be showing that there are benefits to different lifestyles and decisions and sometimes one group can benefit from the other. There is no right answer to everything and you have to look out of your comfort zone to find it.

I'm not sure if it's a message that resonates as well with Western audiences.

4's ending was depressing as hell, as well. It's interesting, because despite 4 being very much thematically about being open-minded, it also is very fatalist. You cannot escape becoming an adult, just as you cannot escape death.

I actually didn't really like 5. At all. I'm not sure what I didn't like about it, in the end, either.

4 is one of those games that fist seems really kiddy and immature, but upon further consideration is much more well thought out than it initially seems. The Kids vs Adults was really annoying my first time through, but when considering the game outside of, er, the game, it's a very sound theme, especially for the Japanese audiences where growing into a more traditional adult means that your freedom and dreams tend to be shed for responsibility. The point really seemed to be showing that there are benefits to different lifestyles and decisions and sometimes one group can benefit from the other. There is no right answer to everything and you have to look out of your comfort zone to find it.

That makes a lot of sense actually. I haven't viewed it from this angle yet. You're probably right in saying that it's a cultural thing.

By the way, let's not forget about Wild Arms XF. I'd include it into my pesonal top ten for the PSP. That's mainly because it can play it on my Vita and I sure love this shiny little device.

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4's ending was depressing as hell, as well. It's interesting, because despite 4 being very much thematically about being open-minded, it also is very fatalist. You cannot escape becoming an adult, just as you cannot escape death.

I actually didn't really like 5. At all. I'm not sure what I didn't like about it, in the end, either.

Except for the main character of 4, because he stays a kid at heart forever and ever because he is awesome and would never become something as evil as an adult (pretty sure that is word for word from the ending).

And frankly 5 is my favorite of the Wild Arms games, probably followed by Alter Code F.

Judes mothers death. Raquel, and her ultimate fate isn't exactly the standard happy ending either, as you would expect they'd have a cure ready for her by the time the credits roll. It's not tragic though, and goes well with what they ware trying to do with the story and character.

I enjoyed the game a lot more than I thought I would, especially since I like explorable world maps.

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Wild Arms 2 will always hold a special place in my heart. I was going through a very hard time in my life back then and the game helped me overcome that crisis. However I don't think I could play it with the same enthusiam anymore, some puzzles were downright awful.

But seriously how awesome were those opening movies, especially the parts with the trumpet playing?

« Last Edit: May 16, 2014, 10:47:13 AM by Masakado »

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Wild Arms 2 will always hold a special place in my heart. I was going through a very hard time in my life back then and the game helped me overcome that crisis. However I don't think I could play it with the same enthusiam anymore, some puzzles were downright awful.

But seriously how awesome were those opening movies, especially the parts with the trumpet playing?